Priceless Memories - Bob Barker [63]
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As each year passed, there were changes and differences that were evident in Price, but the fundamentals of our success remained the same. We had newer games, gadgets, and devices. We had more modern props and prizes. Filming, editing, and sound technologies improved, and we rolled out dozens of new games, but the show remained focused on the contestant and the concept was always based on prices. The audience dressed differently, wore their hair differently, and in general became much more casually attired. The first time I interviewed an attractive young lady and I realized that her tongue was pierced, I knew that time had passed me by.
I have said that the biggest change on The Price Is Right over the years was the color of my hair. They tinted my hair for years. When tinting began to cause my hair to be blue, they tried dyeing my hair instead, and after a period of time, dyeing gave my hair a red cast. Neither was attractive.
In 1987, I went on vacation and let my hair go gray, and when I came home everyone agreed that it looked better gray than tinted or dyed, so I decided that gray it would be. But we had taped ahead, so on Tuesday I had dark hair, and on Wednesday my hair was gray. I got a card from a man in the Midwest who wrote, “Bob, you must have had one hell of a night!”
It was a little revolutionary for the time. I do not think there was another gray-haired game show host on the air then, but I felt good about it, the audience felt good about it, and we marched on into the future. As I have said, people see me on television, and because I have never been anyone other than Bob Barker—I mean, never assumed another character—they feel that they know the real me. When I came out with my silver hair, it was no different. What they see is what they get. The viewers heartily approved.
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While I did Truth or Consequences shows at remote locations, we always shot The Price Is Right at the CBS studio in Hollywood. Price, with all of its props and games and prizes, is not an easy show to travel, but we did try it one time. We decided to do a show in Las Vegas in 2002 at the Rio Hotel. The crowd that descended on the hotel in hopes of getting in to see the show was far larger than what the hotel had anticipated. It was estimated that ten thousand people filled the hotel and sidewalks for blocks around the hotel. Admittedly, crowd control was a problem, but that huge gathering was also an exciting testimonial to the popularity of The Price Is Right.
I was in bed when my phone rang about 4:00 a.m.—it was an executive at the hotel. He said, “We have a problem. We have ten thousand people here for your show.”
“You don’t have a problem,” I said. “You have a problem when you have only a few people for a show. This is wonderful.” And I went back to bed.
Later I was told that there were nearly one thousand people roaming around the hotel at four thirty in the morning, trying to get in line for tickets, and we were not shooting until evening. The crowd grew as the morning broke, and eventually police had to be called in to handle the crowds. In that sense, there was a problem. But the problem attracted media attention coast to coast. And that’s good.
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After Mark Goodson passed away, Price was sold to All American Television. Then All American Television sold the show to FremantleMedia. Syd Vinnedge was an executive with All American Television, and joined Fremantle at the time Fremantle purchased Price. Syd is now the executive producer of The Price Is Right. He is a good friend who has always been helpful to me professionally and personally, and I wish Syd much success